Please critique my proposed kitchen layout
Hello, kitchen geniuses. I posted something similar a while back, but we got sticker shock at the ballpark estimates we got back and decided to move. That is proving too difficult with the current market, so we are biting the bullet and moving ahead with a kitchen addition/renovation. We are a family of 4 (1 tween, 1 teen) with dogs and a cat. 2 cooks in the kitchen is not uncommon.
Attached is a plan we got from the architect. I have tweaked it a bit (I added a larger prep sink and a second trash can by the clean up sink, plus I labeled rooms and spaces). The item at the far right of the work aisle labeled "CAB" is a tall cabinet where I planned to keep everyday dishes, glasses, flatware, cloth napkins and dish towels. I guess prep would be stored in the island and pots and pans to the left of the 48" stove/range. The architect only gave us a 40" aisle, but I am wondering if we could just make the island a few inches narrower without impacting function in order to get more room. Unfortunately, the exterior basement steps limit our ability to make the space deeper.
I'm not married to any of the ideas shown except that our mudroom has to have direct access to the backyard (as it does) because we have big, messy dogs coming in and out. My goal is to make this a very thoughtfully planned, efficient kitchen and would love some folks to nitpick this with me. For example, if the tall CAB breaks up the counter so it is not continuous, will I be sad that I can't slide dirty dishes from the peninsula over to the clean-up sink (I am currently having back trouble)? Are the dishwashers and trash areas optimally placed? Where should the microwave go? What about hiding the coffee maker and toasters (I have a gluten allergy, so we have 2 toasters)? Is the space between the sink and stove big enough for plating dishes for 4 on a nightly basis (I generally plate from the stove, not transferring food into serving dishes for just the 4 of us)? Won't I want more windows in that clean-up sink area, even though the view is not very pretty (parking court and neighbor's house)? Is it weird to have a window into the mudroom, as the architect has proposed? Do we need that peninsula (we planned to make it a mini-beverage station since the current bar is the only source of ice in the house and it is so far from the casual eating space)?
I am just going in circles in my own head, trashing drawing after drawing, and would love some of you experts and helpful commenters to weigh in. Thank you SO much!!
Comments (10)
mama goose_gw zn6OH
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoI think you can get by with one trash pull-out if you put it to the left of the prep sink. The island can go down to 42" deep with no loss of function, and the extra space added to the work aisle, as you suggested. If you choose not to enclose the seating area of the island, you can get another seat on the short side--for more social interaction while eating.
A drawer MW should just fit between the freezer drawers and range, with a cabinet to the left of the range, which matches the width of the cab to the right. Coffee, and a toaster could go in an appliance pull-out above the freezer drawers. Or, put the fridge next to the MW and the appliance pantry/freezer stack to the left., since it would be more convenient to have landing space to the right of the fridge.
I think I'd skip the tall dish cab and use that counter space for the other toaster, and/or coffee. Maybe make the uppers deeper than standard for a bit more storage, or make it match the appliance pantry beside the fridge, and keep the toaster at counter level. Personally, I'd skip the peninsula and extend the uppers and base cabs (red rectangles), but if a chronic condition makes having a peninsula easier for you, then do whatever works.
blueskysunnyday thanked mama goose_gw zn6OHRelated Discussions
Please critique my kitchen layout.....
Comments (27)Interrupting for the range trim, its gotta have something! Seriously - you need to choose one of them, island, normal or tall. You sound like you should get the island trim (1" tall). If you get the default (4-8" tall trim), it will cover over more of the backsplash than you'd like. For the hutch, remember that black is a pita for showing dust. I gotz the following stuff about the appliance garage - have you thought about how those doors will open? It looks like one will open towards you and without special hinges may actually block you from being able to get into it. It doesn't look like a good place for a mixer because it would need to be pulled out onto the little piece of counter towards one side of the sink - not a lotta room to sit other ingredients nearby. Remember to ask what the clearance height is for the appliance garage and know the height of your mixer. With framed cabinets and large mixers, it might not have enough height. When I used to own a kitchenaid mixer, I felt like I needed a certain amount of overage to be able to pick the darned thing up because it weighed so much. I don't know if I'd be comfortable using a toaster that close to a water source....See MorePlease critique my kitchen layout
Comments (11)I put all my daily pots and pans in one lazy susan right now. What ever is left will go to the pantry. My basket drawer holds all the colanders ( i have 4) and mixing bowls and salad bowl and spinner. I use it for prepping 100% of the time. Currently, I have one large 36 pull out try to hold that. I can use the bottom drawer for pots and pans that I don't fit in the lazy susan. GauchGordo - how can I use up the eat in kitchen to expand? I have the patio door and the room to the left is a family room without any walls. The pantry area right now have built in shelves that are 12" deep for the entire wall. I would love to expand to the eat-in area if you've got some idea....See MorePlease critique my kitchen layout
Comments (13)Congrats on getting ready to remodel your kitchen! But honestly, I think you can improve upon this plan. Is your fridge currently against the wall as shown in the plan? Do you have any problems opening the freezer door with only 2" to its left? Even if you can, this location won't allow you the option to switch to a French door fridge in the future. It won't be possible to open the door wide enough to pull out fridge drawers. This is how wide I have to open my fridge door to pull out one of the 3 drawers. No way could I do that with only 2" between fridge and wall. You haven't allowed a decent aisle at the end of the peninsula. It's the only way in and out of the kitchen and it's only 35" wide. I think you need to reduce the peninsula from 108" to at least 101" (42" aisle); 95" would be better (48" aisle). You haven't accurately shown the width of the peninsula. You forgot the counter overhang for the cabinets, which is generally 1 1/2". So your peninsula will be 37 1/2" not 36". Two people will be able to work on a 95" peninsula if no one is at the range or the oven door is opened. It's going to be close quarters for more than one person at the range. And it's going to be impossible for someone to load or unload the DW when someone's at the range and vice versa because the range and DW doors overlap. Your plan shows a 12" wide cabinet between range and peninsula; you can't butt cabinets up against each other in a corner. You need to include a 3" spacer in the corner so that you can open drawers without them banging into the handles of the drawers perpendicular You won't be able to open the drawers without banging into the drawer hardware of the perpendicular run. Here's my corner with a drawer base next to the corner. That means that you'd only have room for a 9" wide cabinet, which Ikea doesn't make. You can correct that by shifting the peninsula 3" towards the FR or 2" by switching out the base cab for a 38" x 38" corner cab. Which brings up another issue. Ikea doesn't make a 36" corner cabinet, only a 38" corner cabinet. Here's your plan with the issues I see corrected (blue circles are people. Gotta use your imagination, lol): And that hasn't addressed the concern stated above: a 24" sink cabinet is undersized. That's what I often recommend for prep sinks. And the DW is in the prep zone between sink and range. Do you have pantry storage somewhere? Is getting 4 seats at the counter a must? Is the 9'6" measured to the DR doorway or to the dotted line in the first floor floor plan above? If the latter, what is the width of the wall to the DR doorway? If the latter, and you can get by with only 3 counter seats, consider this idea: No appliance door overlap, fridge doors can open unhindered, pantry storage included, fridge at perimeter so family and friends can grab drinks easily, plenty of room for more than one person in the kitchen, more than one good stretch of counter to work on, more than one way in and out of the kitchen, 3 seats (2 comfortably) at the counter, and a larger sink base with the sink is centered on the window. I forgot to mark it but I recommend that you get a single bowl sink with off-set drain and the sink cab with pull-out function so you can put the trash under the sink on the non-disposal side. You can get by with only 36" between FR furniture and island because the seating is on the long side, not the short end. Would this work?...See MorePlease Critique My Kitchen Layout!
Comments (2)I'd suggest putting the DW to the right of the sink (as you face it), with the trash on the left, under the prep area. A helper can unload the DW, or gather dishes to set the table, without entering the prep/cooking zones....See More
blueskysunnyday
3 years agoblueskysunnyday
3 years ago
lucky998877
3 years agoblueskysunnyday
3 years agomama goose_gw zn6OH
3 years agolast modified: 3 years agoIf you haven't come across the New to Kitchens thread, I'd suggest reading the section on storage (I'd suggest reading the whole thread, plus the NKBA guidelines, if you want to know the science behind the 'rules' we all want to bend on occasion ;). Then make a list and prioritize. Aside from cutting boards and knives, what do you use most for prep? Keep those items in the prep zone. Do you always use a colander for draining rinsed fruit and veg? Large salad bowl in use every day? Same for pots and pans--can the stockpot move to a spot a little more distant? Although in this kitchen, nothing is more than a step or two away--which is going to be great when you get everything organized.
As lucky998877 mentioned, you could move the prep zone trash to an undersink pull-out, and use the narrow cab next to the prep sink for knife and utensil storage--unless you like a knife block on the counter. I don't know your style of cooking and prepping, or your family's needs. I do a lot of baking, so if this were my kitchen, I'd keep dishes in the uppers and drawers to the right of the DW. Mixing bowls and baking dishes could fill any unassigned space, according to use and frequency of use--casseroles, cake pans, roasters, etc.
I would dedicate most of the kitchen space to prepping/cooking items, and keep foodstuffs in the pantry, but if your family members make a lot of toast or sandwiches, keep bread and peanut butter in a drawer to the right of the fridge, or in the appliance pantry to the left of the fridge, if that's where their toaster will be kept. If they eat cold cereal, make space for it there, too. Spices, oils, and vinegars in drawers to the right of the fridge--near the prep zone and range, but not next to the heat. If the MW is not used often, or you don't need a drawer model, put it in the appliance pantry or the WI pantry--or skip the extra seat on the short side of the island, and put the MW drawer there, facing the WI pantry, to keep users out of the prep triangle.
I would look into drawer dividers, to keep everything organized--you can check with the cabinet supplier, or search for kits to customize for your needs (I made my own with some wood scraps).
Take your time and do your research--it's apparent that you've already done a lot, and that you know what you want to achieve.
New to Kitchens? Read me first.
blueskysunnyday
3 years ago
3onthetree